Forgiven
by legend2130
Summary: This is just what's running through Ahsoka and Anakin's minds when she leaves the Jedi Temple after being framed, tried, and released for the bombing orchestrated by Barriss Offee.


Ahsoka Tano stares up at the imposing entrance to the Jedi Temple for the last time. She remembers the first time she'd set eyes on the towering structure on her way from Shili with Jedi Master Plo Koon. How bright and magnificent her future had seemed then… She'd been told what her life was going to be: she would train as a youngling, then a padawan, then a Jedi Knight, and if she was good enough, she would become a Master of the Force.

_Your future's so much easier when someone plans it out for you._ Now Ahsoka's destiny is uncertain; she has nowhere to go, no one to help her find her way. Her journey with the Jedi has come to an early and unfortunate end.

She had so hoped that the Council would have faith in her. She loved being a padawan more than anything- she would never ruin that amazing opportunity. More importantly, she would never- not _ever_- kill innocent people, people she'd known and trained with, nonetheless!

Anakin had faith in her. He always has. But this time, it just wasn't enough to protect her. A tear streams down her cheek as she recalls the look on his face when she folded his hand around her padawan braid. Her heart gives a pang. It'll be strange not having him around to watch her back, to give her advice when she messes up, to boost her confidence when she can't see the bright side of a situation. She will miss him the most of everyone. And she hopes he'll miss her, too.

The second person Ahsoka will miss most, despite all the trouble she's caused, is Barriss Offee; although, Ahsoka now questions if they were ever truly friends. How long had Barriss been planning this scheme? How long had the wounds in her mind created by the Jedi been festering? Had she just recently realized how corrupt the order she fought for is? Was Ahsoka always the victim she'd been after?

_No, _Ahsoka tells herself firmly. _Barriss may have gone astray; she may have framed you for a terrible crime, but there was once a time when she loved you like a sister._

Ahsoka never allows herself to dwell on the faults of other people; especially not on the faults of a girl she had been so close to. She remembers disabling the bomb in the catacombs of Geonosis, how they'd been prepared to die together. She remembers when Barriss was possessed by that disgusting parasite, and told Ahsoka to kill her so she wouldn't harm anyone. Yes, there had been a time when Barriss was a good person- a great person, even.

_If I ever see her again, I'll tell her I forgive her. She is truly, wholly forgiven in my heart._

Ahsoka rips her gaze away from the past and focuses on the present, the brilliant towers looming high over her head. _I forgive the Council, too. And all of the Jedi who didn't believe in me._

To her surprise, she actually believes this. The Council _did_ rule against her, but not everyone on the Council doubted her. She's almost positive Obi-Wan, Master Plo, and Master Yoda believed she was innocent the entire time. In fact, if she isn't mistaken, Master Yoda had probably known how the whole thing was going to unfold. And since he hadn't tried to stop it, it probably meant this was how things were supposed to happen.

So, yes, Ahsoka is distraught about leaving behind her training, her master, and all of the friends she's made at the Temple. But she has a feeling this won't be the last goodbye. Someday, they'll all meet again, and she'll be able to tell them that she's leaving the past in the past, and they're all forgiven in her eyes.

Anakin Skywalker watches in silence as his padawan-_former padawan-_retreats down the steps of the Jedi Temple. _I've failed,_ is his first thought. He'd only trained her for three years, and she'd already given up. _How awful of a master am I? _Master Yoda had thought he was ready for an apprentice, but he'd hardly left apprenticeship himself.

He found himself yearning to chase after her and convince her to stay, but he knew it was useless. Once Ahsoka is determined to do something, it's impossible to change her mind.

Besides, what did he care? He hadn't even wanted a padawan in the first place. But now that he knew her, now that she was one of his best, most trusted friends… Things had changed drastically between them since that first mission on Christophsis. They'd learned to fight as a team; she always had his back. He can't remember what it was like to fight without her; what if he can't, after so long?

Along with losing his beloved padawan, he felt he'd lost a little sister. No one at the Temple shares his sense of humor, except her. No one knows how to cheer him up like she does. No one understands his reckless battle strategy, and maybe Ahsoka didn't either, but she almost never deviated from his plan. _Almost._

Anakin grins. Oh, yes, she'd been a good padawan, very talented for her youth, but she'd also been a mischievous little thing. She liked to…_add_ to his plans. And she was always the one who came up with a Plan B. You can't enter a battle without a Plan B.

While he's definitely sad to see her go, he feels better now, reflecting on all of the great times they had together. He wishes for more great times, more harrowing rescues, more daring escapes, more annoying the hell out of the Council. But he should adopt some of that cheerful optimism she faced everything with- there was a chance she could come back, and that those times weren't nearly over.

So instead of focusing on his present anguish at the loss of his trusty sidekick, Anakin decides to imagine a future where Ahsoka's by his side once again and all that went wrong between her and the Jedi is forgiven.


End file.
